A trip to the Land Down Under
by SuperUltraMegaMiko
Summary: Buzz is going on about Australia, a young new country... Of course, wanting to show him what an expert looks like, France takes a trip to the country... And let's just say he didn't plan for the day to roll out as it did.
"So this is Australia... Very barren from the looks of things." France walks through the dried-up bush, crushing dead leaves, twigs and probably bugs.
"That's because you're in the outback mate." A voice says. He sounds young with an accent similar to England's, although it sounds more rough and laid-back. "The town is near the shore."

France jumps in his skin and looks around, eventually spotting a boy that looks physically 7 years in a white t-shirt, khaki shorts with pockets, sturdy brown boots with laces and bandaids on his knees, elbows and most noticeably his nose. His hair looks similar to Austria's in both style and colour with his eyes being a bright green. If those green eyes and accent didn't make France think he had a little bit of Kirkland in him, those bushy eyebrows sure did.

France walks up to the child and bends down to properly look him in the eyes. "You're the new country? Australia?" He asks for clarification.  
"Yeah... Who are you?" Australia asks back, folding his arms and tilting his head slightly. An small yet angry bear-like creature with grey fur and big fluffy ears then crawls onto Australia's shoulder, it stares France down with an menacing glare.  
"I'm France... You know of the crowded area that is Europe right? I live there." He introduces himself.  
"I get ya... England lives there right? Can't remember exactly..." Australia replies, then asks again.

"Yes, England does live there... Did he raise you?" France asks back.  
Australia nods, he looks like he's about to continue replying with questions before saying something else. "Ah, this ain't the best place to be chattin'. I'll take ya back to my place. Also, watch ya step and keep ya head low, you could swallow a red back." Australia takes France by the arm. France doesn't feel significant strength from the grip, instead being reminded of how strong Canada's grip could get when he clenched his hardest.

* * *

"Hm... I say your land has a lot of potential... How about putting a beautiful bridge across that river?" France comments as he looks out of the window of Australia's house, cup of tea in hand.  
Australia simply chugs down his cup of apple juice before wiping his face and replying. "Ya think so? Maybe... When the population gets bigger." He replies.

Awkward silence.

"Uh, a-anyway... Care to tell me more about how England raised you?" France decides to start up the previous conversation again.  
"Oh, right!" Australia turns to face France. "England raised me till I was able to walk on my own and decide things for myself... It also felt as if he was spoiling me a lil..." He laughs a little.  
"Hm... Do you have any siblings? Like I do?" France asks.  
"Sure do mate! I'm actually the eldest of twins. New Zealand lives not to far from here, he's just a swim away actually!" Australia laughs, then sighing with a relaxed tone. "Ah, England gave me this photo album. Me and Kiwi were inseparable as lil ones!" Australia reaches up and stands on his tip-toes to reach the photo album. He manages to grab it and trots over back to France and opens the album. The first shot is of him in a crib without the bandage on his nose as well as a beanie on his head, resting next to a boy his age with lighter hair - dirty blonde or a really light brown - with the hair curled up to the sides of his head.  
"Mmm, adorable." France comments with a warm smile.

Australia skips a few pages and lands on a picture with a happy looking England holding the now toddler Australia and New Zealand in his arms, both in a sitting-like position. The two boys are happily hugging him. It's hardly noticeable but the ends of Australia's hair appear blonde in the picture.  
"Reminds me of my own boys..." France chuckles.  
Australia looks up at him. "You have kids?"  
"Yes..." France answers. "America and Canada, twins... Like you and New Zealand."

"You mean my big bros?"

France freezes. He thought Australia was just a younger brother or a cousin to England, not his Son!  
"They're your brothers...? So that means..."  
"Yeah, England's ma mum... Never said who- ...Wait a ticket..." Australia closes the photo album and puts it on the table and jumps into France's lap. "You're my-"

France suddenly pulls Australia into a hug. "Why didn't he tell me? A father deserves to know of his children..."  
"...Dad." Australia finishes his sentence, hugging France back.

After a long silent hug, Australia looks up at France and wipes his face dry.  
"Thank you..." France says with a smile, kissing Australia on the forehead.

Suddenly, Australia tries changing the topic. "H-hey! We could have a father-son day! If ya down for it... That is..."  
"Of course I'd be down for it! France says, happily laughing. He picks Australia up and twirls around with him, now looking overjoyed.

* * *

"So, this is a... What again?"  
"Kangaroo."

Australia reaches out his hand and the Kangaroo before him nuzzles up to his hand. "Sometimes I nap with these guys!"  
France in turn reaches out his own hand. Another Kangaroo bounces toward France and starts licking his. France tenses up, scared of it trying to bite his hand off.  
Australia laughs a little. "Relax dad. This bunch is friendly!"  
"A-ah... Of course." France relaxes, and the Kangaroo pounces on him, knocking him down and he begins to get licked all over his face.  
"Gary, get off-a him!" Australia scolds the Kangaroo, pulling slightly on the tail. Gary backs up and Australia manages to pull France up.  
France dusts himself off. "Thank you... Do you have any other native animals?"  
"Yeah! Wanna see the birds? There's the cockatoo, kookaburra, magpie, galah..." Australia goes on, listing a bunch of birds with names foreign to France.

"Uh, how about that first one?" France decides.  
"Cockatoo? Sure! Follow me!" Australia runs off into an area where trees are plentiful, France is forced to follow and eventually runs out of breath once they reach the place.  
A white bird with a yellow mohawk about as big as a parrot flies toward Australia, landing on his arm.

"This here is Steve. Ain't he good lookin'?" Australia comments.  
France looks at the bird. "Never seen a bird like this before..." France then attempts to pet the bird, Australia pulls his arm back.  
"Watch it dad! This bugga here can nip ya! Let me..." Australia begins talking to Steve in english that seems foreign to any other type of english France has heard before. Once Australia has finished, he looks back at France. "Hold out ya arm."  
France does as instructed. Steve flies over and land on France's arm. "I think I shouldn't have worn my proper clothing for this occasion..." He chuckles nervously. He looks curiously at Steve.  
"'ello!" Steve squawks.  
"This thing can talk?!" France retaliates.  
Australia laughs. "Yeah, you can teach him to say almost anything! Hey, say what America taught to you!"

"Squaaa! England's a tea fucker! Squaaaa!"

France can't help but chuckle a little at that remark. "Of course America would teach something like that to tease England... Ah, has England come over to visit you at all?" He asks, looking down at Australia.  
Australia shakes his head. "I know it's been only a month or two since he dropped me off here but I 'aven't heard a word from em."  
"I... I see..." France looks as Steve starts bobbing his head up and down in attempt to mimic a dance of some kind. "Ah, how cute!"

"Oh, what you wanna see next? Wanna pet an echidna perhaps?"  
France imagines some sort of cute and cuddly yet small animal in his head of a reddish-brown colouring. "Hm, why not?"  
Australia takes France's hand and pulls him back out of the area covered in trees. They arrive at a rather dusty area with rocks and anthills. Australia picks up a spiky creature about the size of a rabbit. It has a long nose and claws. It's quills make it look at if it has some sort of shell.  
"This here's Lucy! Ain't she a beaut?" Australia holds Lucy up to France. "Go on, give her a pet!"  
France hesitates before giving Lucy a gentle pet. She seems to like it. France then gently holds her. "Aw..."

"Ah, watch this!" Australia bends down and some ants start running up his arm. Then he offers his arm to Lucy. Lucy sticks out her long tongue and starts eating the ants.  
"My my... Your wildlife sure seem varied and unique." France applauds. "I think I'd like taking one of those... Cockatoos home."  
"Maybe if one takes a liking to ya..." Australia replies, in-between giggling. Once all the ants are gone, he takes Lucy back and puts her back down. "That should be enough of the wildlife for ya... Wanna see my plants now?"  
"Ah! You have native flowers too?" France seems interested.  
"Yeah, I'll show you the main one for now... Don't wanna deal with 15 different allergic reactions right now." Australia once again takes France by the arm and runs off with him.  
"Sounds like there's a story there." France says.  
"Nah, I was told from Canada that it's a risk." Australia chuckles.

They run into a garden. It's possibly the greenest thing you'll ever see in Australia. There's a big tree that doesn't look like a tree France has seen before and then there's a bush-like tree with green leaves and small yellow puffballs on it. Australia runs towards the bush and picks a small part off. "This here is the Golden Wattle! Uh, can ya bend down?"  
France bends down, one knee resting on the ground.  
Australia sticks the flower in France's hair. France can't help but smile. "Does it look good?" He asks with a loving laugh.  
"Sure does!" Australia says, giving France the thumbs up.  
France gives a slight smirk in response, pulling Australia in for a hug. "Glad you think your own dad looks good with flowers in his hair!" He says, then tickling Australia. Australia laughs out loud in response.

* * *

The two enter the house back at sunset. They look exhausted.  
"I heard you make the best grub. Care to attempt something with what I have?" Australia asks, looking up at France.  
France gives a warm smile. "Sure, why not? I'm sure you're getting sick of England's cooking. I hope it's not too late to save your tastebuds..." France rushes off to the kitchen and starts looking around.

"Hey, do you have any instruments or weapons specific to you, Australia?" France asks while in the middle of cooking.  
"Sure do! Want me to pull out the boomerang? I'd pull out the didgeridoo but I haven't cleared space for it yet so I can't just pull it out and play." Australia responds.  
"The boomerang sounds interesting, can you show it to me?" France asks again.  
"Sure dad!" Australia says with a chuckle. He goes silent for a bit, before France sees a brown blur rush past his face.

France turns around. Australia is holding what appears to be a curved, thin piece of patterned wood in the shape of a C and it barely manages to fit in Australia's hand.  
"It's the boomerang! Throw it _just_ right and it comes back to ya!" He says with a laugh.  
France smiles. "I'll try it out later.

* * *

After a surprisingly filling dinner, Australia and France are relaxing on Australia's bed. Australia looks like he could nod off at any moment.

"Dad... When do you think I can go to all those fancy meetings you go to?" Australia asks, followed by a yawn.  
"When you can hold your own, which doesn't look a long way away in country time." France answers, ruffling his hair.

Australia yawns again and looks at France. "I had fun today dad... I hope you visit me again after this. And tell mum that I said your cooking's better." He says with a chuckle, before quickly dozing off and starts snoring.  
France then gets off the bed and tucks Australia into bed, finishing with a kiss on the forehead. "I had fun too... Now to pay a little visit to England... Give him the message..." France cracks his knuckles and exits the house, but makes sure the wattle is still in his hair, which it is.


End file.
